Casing-tongs.



E. A. HARDISON.

CASING TONGS.

APPLICATION FILED was. an.

Patented Mal-.12, 1918.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN A. HARDISON, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

CASING-TONGS.

Application filed August 6, 1917.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN A. HARDISON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented new and useful Casing-Tongs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in casing tongs and resides in the provision of simply constructed, inexpensive and easily operable tongs which are particularly adapted for screwing into place or unscrewing successive sections of well-casing.

An object of the invention is to provide tongs in which the gripping jaws are constructed and arranged so that they may be quickly and easily caused to grip an object and to readily release hold thereon.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the course of the following description.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the tongs showing them gripped upon a well-casing section.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the tongs showing them in partially released and fully closed position.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the tongs showing the handle broken away. and

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on line 44, Fig. 1.

In the drawings 1 designates a handle to which are pivotally connected jaws 2 and 3. The jaw 3 is provided with a eoncaved gripping face 4: at a point intermediate its ends, and upon the edge thereof opposite to the edge in which is formed the face 4, is recessed as at 5. The inner end of the jaw is provided with a slot 6 through which is inserted a pin 7 that pivotallv connects the jaw with the handle 1. In this connection it will be noted that the handle extends partly into the recess 5.

The jaw 2 is provided at a point intermediate of its ends with a concaved gripping face 8 and at its lower end is pivoted as at 9 to the handle 1 at a point rearward of the pivot for the jaw 3. At their outer ends the jaws 2 and 3 are'notehed to form integral hooks, as at 10 and 11 respectively, the book ends cooperating wi h one another to hold the jaws together. Thus the outer ends of the jaws may be releasably interlocked as in Fig. 1.

A retractile spring 12 is secured as at 13 to the jaw 3 within the recess 5 thereof Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 12, 1918.

Serial No. 184,548.

and as at 4 to the handle 1. A die 15 may be mounted in the gripping face 1 so as to insure the gripping action of the tongs. The engaging faces of the hooks, when the jaws are closed, are oblique with reference to the longitudinal axis of the j aws in the general direction of relative movement of the pivots 7 and 9 so that during the jaw closing movementof said pivots the opposed faces of the hooks will slide upon one another from the position shown in Fig. 2 to that in Fig. 1. This construction enables the closing operation to take place without the necessity of making one of the hooks in the form of a separate pivoted latch as has been heretofore proposed.

Assuming that the jaws are in open posi tion as partly shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 of the drawings, they are positioned on opposite sides of the section of the well-casing and are closed by hand so that the hook ends 10 and 11 engage one another and lock, as shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. When the jaws are thus locked, by moving the handle 1 to the left the jaws will be tightened upon the casing. It will thus be seen that sections of well-casing or pipe may be turned as desired with the device, all possibility of cri'ishing or injuring a casing being eliminated due to the curved or concaved gripping faces of the jaws and the general construction thereof, the gripping faces forming an almost complete circle when the jaws are interlocked.

To release the jaws or open them the handle 1 is moved to the left, as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, and as this causes the hook ends 10 and 11 to move out of looking engagem out with one another the spring 12 will retract and swing the jaw 3 into open position shown in dotted lines in Fi 2.

The quick opening or release of the jaws is desired in order that the tongs may be quickly removed and repositioned.

I claim:

1. Casing tongs comprising jaws having integral releasably interengaging ends, and a handle loosely pivoted to one of the jaws and pivoted to the other jaw at a point along the handle spaced from the first pivot, A

the opposed faces of the interengaging ends, when the jaws are closed. being oblique with reference to the longitudinal axis of the jaws in the general direction of relative movement of the pivots.

2. Casing tongs comprising jaws having integral releasably interlocking ends and having concave gripping faces, said gripping faces forming an almost complete cirole when the jaws are interlocked, and a handle loosely pivoted to one of the jaws and pivoted to the other jaw at a point along the handle spaced from the first pivot, the opposed faces of the interlocking ends, when the jaws are closed, being oblique with reference to the longitudinal axis of the jaws in the general direction of relative movement of the pivots.

3. Casing tongs comprising jaws having integral releasably interlocking ends, a handle loosely pivoted to one of the jaws and pivoted to the other jaw at a, point along the handle spaced from the first pivot, and a spring connecting the loosely pivoted jaw to the handle to tend to swing said 30 v jaw away from the other jaw, the opposed faces of the interlocking ends, when the aws are closed, being oblique with reference to the longitudinal axis of the jaws 1n the general direction of relative movement of the 35 pivots.

Signed at Los Angeles, California, this Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patent Washington, .D. G. 

